The Value Of ... Value

When Virtuoso traveler Dahlia Mannarino got engaged, the wedding itself was set for six months in the future. Dahlia and her fiancee are Toronto-based, but knew they wanted to try the South Pacific – and specifically, the Bora Bora area – for their honeymoon. Of course, planning the actual wedding had to come first.

Dahlia went out one night with a friend and mentioned the South Pacific plan; the friend stopped her mid-stream and told her to consider using a travel advisor – and specifically Virtuoso advisor Carl Henderson, also in the Toronto area, who specializes in Tahiti.

"My fiancee and I are both pretty Internet-savvy and had booked a lot of our own trips," says Dahlia, "and at the time, we had begun researching a little bit about the South Pacific. But there was so much to do for the wedding, we decided to give working with Carl a try."

At the first meeting between the couple and Carl, Dahlia got the sense within minutes that the advisor "understood us so well." Within weeks, an entire itinerary was crafted. The trip went off without a hitch.

"There were just so many little things throughout, these personal touches," says Dahlia. "There would be champagne in the different rooms we checked into, courtesy of him. There were upgrades. It was a dream experience."

Dahlia admits that while it was completely stress-free, she and her now-husband weren't sure they'd continue to use an advisor. Part of their thinking was using one for bigger, once-in-a-lifetime trips, but even those they thought they could research significantly online.

Recently, though, they began trying to plan a trip to Turkey and Thailand. The flights were becoming a concern – numerous changes, and the hours weren't lining up. Dahlia contacted Carl.

"Within minutes, he got back to me about flights and our best options and what we should consider," says Dahlia. "It was literally maybe less than 15 minutes."

Moments like that, and the small tokens throughout the South Pacific, underscore the value of an advisor in Dahlia's eyes: it comes back to value.

"Honestly, we probably work to travel," admits Dahlia. "It's such a huge passion for us and a huge part of our lives. So if you value it that much, you want to find a similar value in how you travel. Having an advisor like Carl is a huge part of that."

If you'd be interested in working with a Virtuoso advisor on your next trip(s), click below to connect.